Burnt Offerings (1976) turns 50 this week, and the slow-burn haunted-house favourite still earns its unease. It premiered at the Paris International Festival of Fantastic and Science-Fiction Film in April 1976 before reaching U.S. cinemas in August. The film follows a family who rent a remote neo-classical mansion for the summer, only to find the house restoring itself at their expense. These are the details that make the film even more unsettling.
Every accident made the house stronger
The plot turns on a predatory home. After Davey hurts himself playing, a dead plant starts to grow again. After Ben cuts his hand on a champagne bottle, a dead light bulb is mysteriously repaired, and the house keeps rejuvenating itself as the family unravels.
The title is a biblical “sacrifice by fire”
The film and its source novel take their title from the Book of Leviticus, where a burnt offering refers to a “sacrifice by fire” and a “gift offered to God.” That idea of giving something up to a greater force sits quietly under the whole story.
Dan Curtis called the ending “nothing”
Director Dan Curtis found the novel uninteresting when he was offered the project, especially its “nothing” ending. He joked to himself, “I bet some idiot who doesn’t know what he’s doing will come along and make this.” Then he became that director.
Three directors walked away over cost
According to Curtis, three other directors considered adapting the novel before declining because they believed it would cost too much to produce. The film eventually went into production with a $2 million budget.
Bette Davis called it “six weeks in jail”
Bette Davis was vocal about her dissatisfaction on set, describing the shoot as “total chaos… I feel like I’ve spent the past six weeks in jail.” She reportedly clashed with Karen Black and considered Black’s on-set behavior unprofessional.
A family tragedy shut the set down
In an interview with Rex Reed, Davis said the director’s daughter on this film died by suicide, and the production shut down for a week. Then the cameraman was fired because the rushes were so dark, costing about two weeks of retakes.
Karen Black was pregnant during filming
Karen Black was pregnant during the shoot and was reported to have “frequently rested” between takes. Davis claimed she showed up six months pregnant, so the wardrobe had to be remade to fit. The tensions became part of the production’s difficult legend.
You can visit the real mansion
Principal photography began on August 3, 1975 at the historic Dunsmuir House in Oakland, California. The production leased the home and grounds, which are a public park, through September 13, 1975. Burnt Offerings was the first film shot there; art directors aged it with flaked paint, wisteria vines, cobwebs and Victorian furnishings.
Which of these Burnt Offerings details changes the way you see the house? Share your own favourite fact for its 50th anniversary.
Facts from Wikipedia: Burnt Offerings (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
